A Good Thing
by jennamajig
Summary: Sheppard teases and points out the positive. Tag for Duet. Gen.


**A Good Thing**  
by Jennamajig

* * *

**SUMMARY:** Sheppard teases, but also points out the positive. Tag for Duet.

**SEASON/SPOILERS**: Season Two. Spoilers for Duet.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: This fic does mention (somewhat canon) het, which is a first for me, but mainly just thought Shep couldn't let  
sleeping dogs lie ;).

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or anything associated with it. I'm simply borrowing, but I promise to return all in one piece. Eventually.

* * *

It had been one hell of a week.

Between Ronan's apparent ease to kick butt with a firearm and his fist, his plea to Elizabeth to consider adding the man to his team, and McKay's trip to the Twilight zone, John wondered where the time went.

Now that he had Elizabeth on his side when it came to Dex, he had a chance to check in with Rodney. He hadn't been kidding when he applauded Cadman for living through his worse nightmare. Rodney was his friend, his very good friend if he was honest with himself, but that still didn't mean he'd want to take up residence in the physicist's head for almost four days.

And that kiss...whoah. Zelenka was threatening blackmail and Rodney got a standing ovation the one time he ventured out of his lab to get dinner. Beckett, present for the incident, had turned red and disappeared, and, come to think of it, John hadn't seen the physician around much either.

Mulling that over, Sheppard made a mental note to stop by and say hi to Carson. And try not to tease. He probably wouldn't succeed, which both McKay and Beckett, but he'd try. Truthfully, the whole thing kinda weirded him out a little. McKay - no Cadman, he reminded himself - certainly put a lot of effort into that kiss.

He rounded the bend and approached McKay's lab. He figured the scientist would be hiding out, laying low, waiting for the whole thing to blow over. But when he entered the lab, there was no Rodney to be found. He only saw a few techs milling about.

He frowned a moment, then backtracked towards the infirmary. Maybe Beckett had seen McKay.

John reached the infirmary and was surprised to find not only Carson, but Rodney sitting next to him. He figured the two might be avoiding each other with the awkwardness and all. But then again, McKay did spend two days in the infirmary once all was set right again, so he'd been forced to face Beckett whether he liked it or not.

He entered and saw the two doctors were eating lunch. John pulled up a chair.

"How goes it?" he asked.

"Not one word," Rodney said immediately.

John put on his innocent face. "Not one word about what?"

"You know what," Rodney replied. "And I don't want to talk about it."

John raised an eyebrow. "Someone's touchy." He decided to change the subject. "So, doc, word around the water cooler says you have a date."

Carson simply blushed and Rodney looked up. "You have a date, Carson?" he asked. "With a woman?"

"Yes, with a woman, Rodney," Beckett shot back. "And I didn't mean it that way, you know. Dr. Brown is a lovely woman."

"Yes, Katie is," Rodney agreed and for a split second got a lovestruck look in his eye. Sheppard just rolled his own eyes. Geez, Rodney really must be striking out of if he was this enthralled by female attention. McKay quickly snapped out of it, though, and for that, John was grateful.

"You have a date? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Carson.

"You didn't tell me about your date with Katie," Carson responded. "Or the fact that you had a second date last night, as a matter of fact."

"It's none of your business. And how did you...Cadman." Rodney sighed. "Women just can't keep their mouths shut, can they?"

John laughed. "True. But say a comment like that around them, McKay, and trust me, you won't be interacting with any of them any time soon." He turned back to Beckett. "So, you have a date? I assume it's with Cadman, considering the past few days and all."

Beckett blushed again and McKay snorted. "I'm thinking women aren't the only ones who gossip."

"I don't gossip," John defended. "I simply hear things. And see things. Like a certain event someone here doesn't want to talk about."

"That's just low, you know. It's bad enough I have Zelenka threatening me with a videotape."

"Rodney," Carson hissed.

"Videotape?" Oh, he'd need to talk to Zelenka later, that's for sure.

"There's no videotape," Carson told him.

"Uh huh," he muttered. "So, date?"

"Aye," Carson finally muttered. "Tomorrow. She's a lovely lady."

"Who thinks you're awfully cute. Wouldn't you agree, Rodney?" John teased.

"I refuse to comment on Carson's attractiveness," he answered.

"Oh come on, Rodney. Admitting that the doc here is easy on the eyes doesn't make you lose points on the heterosexual scale." John watched Carson look down at the table, seeming a bit uncomfortable. John swore that getting Beckett to blush was too easy.

"Of course it doesn't," Rodney agreed. "But I don't think we need to be having this conversation. Carson is attractive. Good for him."

Sheppard smiled. "Yep, very good for him. You know, Carson, this is really the best thing that ever happened to the two of you."

Carson lifted his head to exchange a look with Rodney. "It is?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, Colonel, do tell why sharing my body with a female determined to mess up my personal life is a good thing."

Sheppard shrugged. "It got you a second date, McKay, didn't it?"

"Yes," Rodney agreed, dragging the word out slowly.

"And, Carson, well, I was thinking you were as hopeless as Rodney here. Too much time in your lab, you wouldn't notice Cadman unless she grabbed you by your lab coat and made out with you in the hanger bay." He grinned wickedly. "Oh wait. That exactly what she did."

If at all possible, Carson's face turned even redder. Rodney just looked at the floor.

John's smirk grew. "I'm dropping it, I'm dropping it." He got up to leave. "Although..."

Rodney looked back up at him, a glare set in his eyes.

"Who's the better kisser, Carson? Rodney or Cadman?"

John ducked out the door before either could respond and decided to pay a certain Czech a visit.


End file.
